(RV) Corban Men’s Wrestling Drops Regular Season Finale to No. 18 Eastern Oregon
SALEM, Ore. – The (RV) Corban University men's wrestling team played host to the Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon University on Friday afternoon. With two key contributors out of the lineup, the Warriors struggled to keep pace with a talented EOU squad, taking the defeat by the score of 36-9.
Corban standout seventh-ranked 174 pounder Levi Perry and the scalding hot Cooper McCullough were inactive for the dual, which complicated matters from the get-go. However, all but two of the afternoon's matches went the distance, and only one ended in a pin.
Besides the win by forfeit at 125 pounds by Ryan Davis, the Warriors earned just one win in the matchup, seeing Falemalama Van Weggen earn a 5-3 win by decision against Cade Woodward of the Mounties. In a strong battle that entered the third period tied 2-2, Van Weggen picked up a point for an escape after beginning the stanza on bottom, giving him a 3-2 lead, and would go on to tally a takedown, putting him up 5-2 before Woodward earned an inconsequential escape to end the battle at the 5-3 count.
Grant Laiblin gave an inspired performance at 133, dropping his match to Nathaniel Rodriguez by a 10-9 final. Laiblin began in an early hole, down 6-0, but was able to fight back and make it tough for Rodriguez in the end.
For the Mountaineers, each of their three ranked wrestlers earned victories. No. 14-ranked Blake McNall won by major decision (13-3) over Joe Foster at 141. No. 12-ranked Keegan Mulhill defeated Nick Nelson by way of the pin (1:33) at 174 (replacing Perry). And finally, No. 11-ranked Marco Retano bested Noah Sickles by major decision (14-3) at 184 pounds.
The Warriors end the regular season with a 5-9 record and are poised to perform strongly at the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Championships on February 21 and 22 in Atherton, Calif.
Following the CCC Championships, the Navy and Gold will be hoping to send several of their best competitors to the NAIA National Championships in Park City, Kan. on March 6 and 7. Prospective grapplers for the tournament include Levi Perry, Cooper McCullough, and Falemalama Van Weggen.